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Scientific American Read by Taliban Member
by Jeanette Cain
The terrorists attacks of September 11, 2001, has played a major role in the changing freedoms of all Americans. Conversations with ethnic groups is regarded with suspicion, airports are becoming as difficult to enter as a bank vault, and everyone is suspicious of anyone with a knowledge of physics and chemistry.
Steve Mirsky, writer for Scientific American, revealed in the February issue that notes and textbooks from an abandoned house in Kabul showed a Taliban member had been interested in exploring several areas of science. The member was also a reader of the magazine Scientific American. Mirsky stated that the entire staff had been surprised and shocked by this finding. The Taliban member was believed to be an undergraduate student in physics and chemistry. However, as Mirsky points out, "...which is still good enough to make stuff blow." (p 99)
Mirsky says the Taliban member's notes were for a plasma jet. A plasma jet is the propulsion system that has been designed to make long space travel trips. Obviously, the Taliban member was describing the Scientific American November 2000 issue. Mirsky takes a positive attitude toward this type of study, "If his research goal was indeed to lead the Taliban on a voyage away from Earth, well, more power to him." He makes reference to the headline "Taliban Flees Last Stronghold in Afghanistan" as already sending some of them on a trip, expenses paid for by the U.S. military.
Scientific American, as well as many other educational and informative magazines, articles, and web sites may have been used for less positive uses, but as Mirsky points out-all we can do is hope that the information is, was not, and will not be used toward destructive means. This finding put the magazine and its writers in a difficult situation. It is a problem that works on the psyche. Difficult situations are made everyday by individuals with the intent of making the rest of us as miserable as they seem to be.
Mirsky ends his article on a lighter, more humorous note. He devoted the remaining space to what he sees as, "...various basic facts designed to bring nasty newcomers to the study of science up to speed, which is different from velocity (and from me, because velocity has a direction)."
Mirsky turns Einstein's E=mc2 equation into mc as Einstein's way of introducing his guests for the evening meal and show. We cannot allow a handful of unhappy people to destroy the wonders of study found in physics and chemistry. Mankind has come a long way, and if we continue to study and explore, we may be able to go much farther in understanding the universe we live in. Hats off to Scientific American for continuing to explore and to educate. When the rest of us journey to other planets, the terrorists and unhappys will only have each other to blame.
Source:
1. Mirsky, Steve. Scientific American: "Antigravity - Kabul Session." Scientific American: US. Volume 286 Number 2, p99.
Further Study
Scientific American: Kabul Session
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